07/29/2026
Thoughts from Kara Dusseldorp on Calgary’s Downtown Office Conversion Program and what it could mean for the future of the downtown office market:
Office-to-residential conversions are becoming one of the more interesting shifts in Calgary's downtown office market.
On paper, the numbers are significant. Calgary has approved twenty-one conversion projects, representing approximately 2.7 million square feet of office space. To date, the Downtown Office Conversion Program has seen eight completed projects totaling 925,000 square feet being transformed to 2,667 new homes and 226 hotel rooms.
What sets Calgary apart from other Canadian cities is the scale and structure of its approach. While Toronto and Vancouver have seen sporadic conversions driven primarily by market forces, Calgary has taken a more coordinated path with dedicated municipal funding and a clear program framework. The city's higher office vacancy rates created both the urgency and the opportunity to move decisively. Montreal and Ottawa have explored similar programs, but Calgary's Downtown Office Conversion Program represents one of the more comprehensive municipal efforts to address post-pandemic office inventory challenges in Canada.
The program is meant to bring more people into the core, which means more restaurants, retail, safety, and vibrancy. Anyone who spends time downtown Calgary after 5:00 p.m. knows that part matters.
From June 15 to July 27, 2026, the program accepted funding applications for an additional $25 million in City incentive funding available to eligible conversion projects. Conversions will not fix every challenge in the office market. Nothing is that simple. But they do change the supply picture, and over time, that can help create a healthier balance.
Photo credit: City of Calgary